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Are you interested in examining how health and other news is being reported to television audiences? Are you interested in gaining a historical perspective on health topics through broadcast news? The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is a unique resource to help you do this. 

Screenshot of NBC news report from 1997, Tom Brokaw on warning about diet drug fen-phen.
Streaming content is available from CNN and NBC.

The archive, housed at Vanderbilt University, has been recording and indexing national nightly news broadcasts from the United States since August 5, 1968. Initially the news broadcasts recorded included only the “big three” networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC. With the creation of CNN and Fox News, additional news content was added to the archive. Broadcasts are indexed and made keyword searchable.

While not all news networks provide their streaming content to the archive, Vanderbilt has been able to reach agreements with two networks, CNN and NBC, to provide streaming content within the archive’s web interface. Where streaming video is available, there will be a link to play the content. 

You can search the archive by browsing for news from a particular date, going as far back as August 1968. Browsing by date reveals summaries of all the segments within that day’s broadcasts from all available networks. The summary shows the topic of the segment, its length, and lists the reporters for that segment.

Screenshot of news broadcast segments from June 3, 2020.
Browsing the archive by a specific date is one option.

Another interesting feature of the broadcast summary is that it details which products (including medications) were advertised during commercial breaks. Where streaming content is available, you can view those advertisements.

You can also search by keyword to produce a list of broadcast segments with relevant content, limiting by date range if desired:

Screenshot of a keyword search of the news archive for HIV, limiting to dates between 1979 and 1990.
Keyword searching the archive is another option.

For networks from which only an abstract of a broadcast is available, the information provided is robust enough to establish the content of the report, its length, and the interviews included:

Screenshot of summary of June 12, 1988 ABC Evening News report on AIDS conference. Anthony Fauci is interviewed.
Even when streaming content is unavailable, each segment is described in detail.

The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is a fascinating way to watch the evolution of health topics and other issues and events over time. This unique resource lets you explore, for example, the way in which HIV/AIDS was discussed in the earliest newscasts on the subject; trace media coverage of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, either via keyword search or browsing broadcasts by date; examine changes in the way medications were advertised on national television; and so much more.

Access to clips from the archive which are not available for streaming are generally assessed a loan fee, with full details available on the Request page. However, researchers located in the Washington, DC area can access full streaming content from the archive at the Library of Congress Moving Image Research Center. Appointments to use the facility are required, and can be made here.

Resource Spotlight: Public Health Journals. Images of 4 public health journal logos.

GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health is one of the most highly ranked public health graduate schools in the U.S. and provides education and research across biostatistics and bioinformatics, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, exercise and nutrition science, global health, health policy and management, and prevention and community health. Today’s post highlights public health journals in Himmelfarb’s collection! Our journal collection includes more than 330 public health journal titles - here are some highlights of four of these great titles:

  1. Health Affairs: Health Affairs has been our most-used public health journal (based on usage statistics from 2015-2022) for years! First published in 1981, this journal explores both domestic and international health policy issues, to promote analysis and discussion on improving health and healthcare, and to address issues including cost, quality, and access to healthcare. Health Affairs addresses healthcare system change from a variety of perspectives through data, analysis, policy proposals, and commentary.
  2. American Journal of Public Health (AJPH): AJPH is our second-highest-used public health journal (based on usage statistics from 2015-2022). First published in 1911, AJPH is the official journal of the American Public Health Association and was voted one of the 100 Most Influential Journals in Biology and Medicine over the past 100 years. AJPH publishes the best scientific, public health research and aims to promote diverse public health practice models and increase understanding of public health problems and their solutions.
  3. Journal of Public Health: This journal publishes research on the theory and practice of the whole spectrum of public health including all domains of health improvement, health protection, service improvement, public health ethics, and public health law. In-depth looks into the causes of disease and how to prevent ill health and promote good health are the main focus of this title.
  4. Public Health Reports: The official journal of the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Public Health Service, Public Health Reports publishes research, reviews, and commentaries related to public health practice and methodology, public health law, and teaching. Topics such as disease surveillance, infectious and chronic diseases, occupational disease and injury, immunization, and health disparities are key focuses of this journal. 

Himmelfarb’s public health resources aren’t just limited to journals. We have public health databases including Scopus, Health Policy Reference Center, and PolicyMap. We also have more than 30 public health-related research guides on subjects including clinical and translational sciences, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology and biostatistics, exercise and nutrition, global health, prevention and community health, health policy, and health statistics. Not sure which resource is best suited to your research needs? Our reference staff is available to provide assistance with searching the databases, finding full-text articles, and much more! 

The expanded Research Guide is a one stop for the latest health care and public health focused news, research, literature resources, and clinical guidelines on COVID-19.  It also includes the latest University news and resources for the GW health care community.

The News page includes breaking news, regularly updated newsfeeds like Kaiser Health News and NEJM’s Physician First Watch, and podcasts. Check out JAMA’s regular Q&A’s on COVID-19 for CME credit and CDC’s weekly COCA calls.

The Literature, Database and Data Resources page has portals developed by trusted publishers like BMJ, Springer Nature, and Wiley, and targeted search services like NLM’s LitCovid. Datasets include those that populate Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard and sequence data from NLM Genbank.

Additional pages support clinical, laboratory, and infection control services, and resources for specific medical specialties. Among these are Airway & Management guidelines by Dr. Jeffrey Berger, GW Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, and a Critical Care Primer on resources for non-ICU clinicians called on to support ICU patients, developed by Laura Abate at Himmelfarb.  Also access Master Protocols from University of Washington and UCSF here.

Public health and emergency management resources include tracking maps and dashboards, as well as critical resources from CDC and WHO (daily situation summaries and guidance). State and local public health department COVID-19 information and emergency management agencies are also listed.

The guide will be updated regularly and we encourage you to share any resources we’ve missed by emailing himmelfarb@gwu.edu.  As always, our team of health sciences librarians is here to assist you with using any of these resources or other information needs at this time. Email us or chat us Monday-Thursday from 8:30am-8pm and Friday 8:30am-5pm.

GW COVID-19 responseThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring an outbreak caused by a new coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The outbreak has resulted in hundreds of confirmed cases in China and additional cases in a growing number of other countries, including the first confirmed case in the US.

Himmelfarb Library has links to the latest information from CDC, World Health Organization, and the National Library of Medicine’s Disaster Information Management Resource Center on the Emergency Preparedness and Response Resources Research Guide. This guide will continue to be updated as the situation coronavirus imagedevelops.

Research Guide: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

If you are planning to travel internationally, consult the CDC Traveler’s Health page. Currently travelers are being asked to avoid non-essential travel to Wuhan. There are further recommendations and precautions if you plan to travel to China or are traveling to Asia for Lunar New Year celebrations.

Additionally from the CDC:

If you traveled to China in the last 14 days and feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, you should seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms. 

Further important instructions are on the Traveler’s Health page.

Healthcare providers should immediately notify their local or state health department in the event of a patient under investigation for 2019-nCoV. Information for the Washington, DC Department of Health is below. For other localities, check the Directory of Local Health Departments (NACCHO).

Government of the District of Columbia Department of Health
899 N Capitol St Ne
Washington, DC 20002-4263
Phone: (202) 442-5955

Image source: AJC1. (2013) Novel coronavirus nCoV. flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajc1/8783460538